D for?

D for 'Date'

"Let me get this straight." Hiya said, at lunch break, as they were all gathered on a table. "Jonathan and Pranav had gone to the infirmary because of a stomach ache, before they went unconscious?"

Mithili nodded. Hiya looked at the group around her, which now consisted of herself, Mithili, Sahini, Pranith, Saatvika, and Jagdeep. The latter two were here because they were Sahini's and Pranith's friends from childhood - they claimed they trusted them with their lives.

Hiya didn't have much of an opinion on either of them, so she didn't know if she was on board to share more in front of them - or even Pranith. But, at least he looked like he cared. 

"Remind me why you guys are hung up on this?" Jagdeep asked. "They got sick, they fainted. Isn't that pretty clear?"

Hiya and Mithili exchanged looks. 

Figure out when, and you'll know why. 

The dates of them going unconscious were important. Plus, it didn't add up. Something was indeed fishy here. And one thing was clear. This was more than a three person job. So she gave an approving nod to Mithili, who said, "This is something we're not supposed to share. You have to promise not to tell anyone else." she looked at Saatvika, Pranith, Jagdeep pointedly - Sahini already knew.  

They all looked serious, which was good, and then nodded. 

"Promise," Hiya reminded. "A two-year old can nod."

"I promise." Pranith said. Sincerely, but part sceptical. 

"Yeah. Promise." Jagdeep agreed, seemingly out of curiosity. Saatvika promised too. 

They told them about everything in detail. The note, recording, the library, the voice changer. The clues. 

"So . . . the for tea something something clue, has something to so with the dates?" Jagdeep caught on.

"Exactly." Hiya said. "Or, that's what we think."

"And the date makes no sense," Pranith pointed out. "Why would Jonathan be in school on the fourteenth? On a strike holiday?"

"He wrote the date wrong?" Sahini asked. 

"The nurses write the entries." Mithili said. 

"The nurse wrote the date wrong?" Jagdeep suggested. Hiya sighed. "Date being right or wrong, it's connected to the clue. I can feel it."

Saatvika stood quietly, as if still processing everything. She didn't talk the whole discussion - which was interrupted a few minutes after, anyway, after the teacher walked in for the first period. 

Chemistry class, apparently. Hiya preferred Physics. She took her seat quickly, next to Sahil, and waved at Sahya, who smiled when she walked past. Her stomach churned. Their teacher, Ms. Kiara, seemed nice, and she even gave them half the period free for 'self-study'. Hiya would've laughed. Yeah, like anyone was going to do that.

"Hey, Hiya," Sahya turned toward her from her front. "Did you understand this part?" she asked, pointing to the activity ma'am had explained. "I could do with a second run-through."

"Oh, yeah, I did." Hiya said. Like she'd been thinking, self-studying didn't seem so bad. "It's a double displacement reaction. Not too hard to understand when you write the equation down. Here, let me do it." 

Hiya did her best to explain what she could. Good impressions go a long way. Sahya sighed in exhaustion. "That is a little complicated. But thanks, that helped." she said. 

"Yeah, anytime," Hiya said. "Chemistry . . . it's always complicated."

Sahya nodded. "We should talk more," she said, grinning. "You make studying interesting."